Archive for February, 2015

WTF YouTube?
(Perhaps not the best title for a post – but I couldn’t think of another one since what information I have found so far on the subject has amounted to inane techno babble.)

OK so to be fair to YouTube or You Tube or whatever it is, there are a LOT of people using the website………..of course since YouTube is owned by Google (since 2006, officially anyways) you would think they would have addressed things like upload time, etc. Of course, I have uploaded some videos since 2006 and they have not taken anywhere near the time they do now to upload.

One obvious reason is the sheer number of people that may be using YouTube as well as uploading videos to YouTube. However, being that YouTube has been (for lack of a better term) a subsidiary of Google for a few years now…….what can only be described as a severe sever issue should have been addressed years ago! OK, so yes you have to verify the content being uploaded that is not infringing on copyrights or outright illegal and so on. However most of these functions, as well all know are performed by machines and not people! So why not just give the machines better instructions?

Then again, YouTube is for the most part a free service unless you are ordering a PPV movie on YouTube (yes for those of you living under a rock, under the sea too – PPV has actually been available on YouTube for a while now. I’ll come back to PPV in a moment, but yeah maybe I should not be what you may perceive to be as ungrateful for such a truly cool website that does not cost me anything to use. There are a number of AMAZING free things on YouTube, such as for example “Vice News” which have a lot of great stories and documentaries that you can view for free.

Then we have the lady who took a bath in Milk and Cereal and ate the cereal, and she gets to interview The President! Now if that is not a WTF, what is? I see what the President did there though, he is trying to reach the younger generations (as well as Americans in general who have grown tired of the traditional news media) who are more often getting their news from Facebok, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter and so on.

Anyways I have embraced the whole YouTube thing myself, and overall it is actually quite fun once you eventually get your videos posted and they are processed! Now I have read on YouTube’s website as well as many people throughout the web explain various ways to edit your videos for YouTube so that they will process faster. To be fair to this end of the situation……as a Newbie Youtuber who would easily be Pwned by a YouTube veteran…….I am still learning a LOT about how the whole process works.

However my point or thought is when did it get so damn technical? I mean yes of course we all know there are tools to make your videos better or to add effects and so on. However, uploading to YouTube was actually much less of a hassle at one point in time ….. And it could also be that people are intentionally making their uploads more complex which then has the unintended consequence of making the whole website slower anyways. Could that be it? Who knows? I do know though that even though I only recently have taken more than just a passing interest in YouTube…..it used to be far less complex to upload to YouTube.

Now of course you have serious people on YouTube, who are people who have either been fortunate enough to basically become a Youtbuber or YouTube Journalist or reporter of some sort and there is also the more Traditional media Professionals who are more and more embracing YouTube whereas a few years ago the establishment Journalists and Reporters would have laughed off YouTube as a fad. Z

So there are the serious minded posters, as well as the noobs like myself and everyone else in between…..it sure adds up to a lot of people posting a LOT of content at the same time no matter how you look at it.

I guess there almost has to be some safeguards and checks and balances with YouTube……I mean think of the worst thing you can imagine and then in reality it is far worse and that’s what would be all over YouTube without the checks and balances that YouTube has in place. Now that’s not to say anything about free speech, at least in the USA….but people would abuse the website and ruin it for everyone otherwise as they always do.

Anyways overall my experience with YouTube has been good. I will continue to explore how to do different things with my videos as time goes on…..I am learning after all and ranting maybe just a little bit at the same time. I can see a torrent of negative comments coming my way from this post…….but let me say these are my views SO FAR and I am only stating WHAT IS ON MY MIND AT THE MOMENT. I am not dissing YouTube in any way, I am just stating what I am frustrated with….BUT…..BUT……every time I use YouTube it gets easier for me and I learn more about the different features of YouTube.

Thanks to all who have checked out the Blog lately! I will be writing more posts soon! Keep in mind this Blog is not about any one topic or thing (It’s about what at I am writing about at that particular moment when my post is made) ……so my apologies if you are a little confused here at times! Thank You for Reading.

These are some thoughts and so on I have about Light Bulbs….as this is now I guess what one could call a very odd hobby or dare I say interest. I am not an expert on Light Bulbs or the safety of them or anything at all in relation to anything whatsoever (in this particular case Light Bulbs). I encourage you to do your research and go to your local stores yourselves if you are able to do so. I welcome the exchange of thoughts and ideas on this topic and I will share what I can with you – but I am sharing my thoughts and opinions (not expert advice as I am Not an expert) and really just wondering who else out there has had (or has) some of the same experiences as have I with Light Bulbs at home.

I changed all of our bulbs to CFLs, we have one LED for a nightlight……but the rest are all CFL now…..even all 3 of our 3 way lamps are as well (3 way cfl 50/100/150 equivalent). Some of the CFLs I have are 60 watt equivalent Walmart brand – 4 for 0.88. There are a few 40 watt equivalent bulbs that cost 2 for 0.88 & another style of the 40 watt equivalent bulb 3 for 0.88. (All are the Walmart brand, except for the LED I got from Menard’s along with a candle shape cfl bulb.) (The 3 ways I think are GE brand bulbs, purchased at Walmart for I think like 7.77 each…….compared to as much as 20.00 at some other stores.) We also have 2 lights outside we keep on at night, they are CFL 60 watt equivalent and do fine year round (I have yellow cfl bug light bulbs for outside when its spring, summer, etc).

Yeah of course LEDs are better! However they are generally (from what I have seen online as well as at all of our local stores so far) much more expensive than CFL bulbs! However, they do not contain any mercury and they come on instantly at full brightness as compared to many CFL bulbs which can take up to a few minutes to reach full brightness depending on your bulb (granted though, most CFLs do not take this long to reach full brightness……though some can).

LEDs are more energy efficient than even CFL bulbs, and that is a good thing…..and the light from them can rival the quality of light from any bulb (assuming you are not someone with a medical condition and you tolerate all types of light well that is).

However where are all of these bulbs? A lot of types and styles of bulbs, I cannot find in any store at any price…..and yes of course the answer to that is “Well why don’t you just buy them online then – duh?”. Well one note is that more and more websites are charging you sales tax (depending on where you live and what the website is). So to that end for a lot of these products (especially with the shipping costs for most bulbs) you are going to pay the same or more than retail in many cases online for energy efficient light bulbs. Also light bulbs are one of those tricky things (unless you are maybe getting more of an exact bulb you already have) that you almost have to see to know if it’s going to work for you. For example, while yes you get the size and dimensions of a 3 way CFL Bulb online……you have to see it in person to appreciate how much bigger than a regular Incandescent 3 Way Bulb they actually are.
A typical 3 way CFL Bulb may not fit in your particular 3 Way lamp depending on what typed of lampshade you may have and or desire.

Then there are some downsides to CFL and even LED light. For example while I have grown to appreciate them (mainly to save money on electricity) the light IS different than what you may have grown accustomed to with your typical Incandescent Bulb. I personally do not have much of an issue with the difference in the way the light looks…..or makes the room and objects within the room look as compared to Incandescent Bulbs. However anyone who says there is no difference is full of it…..there is a major difference! I say there is a Major difference because to myself anyways – I can tell that the light is not coming from an Incandescent Bulb….its obvious! However while its obvious and I can see it clearly – it does not bother me and I usually do not notice it anymore unless I am in someone else’s home that has Incandescent Bulbs.

Incandescent Bulbs may be so called “off the market” but I still see them in stores and there are light Bulbs after all…..so its not like they will be that hard to find until they are not made anymore (to which end I would advise if you are a fan of Incandescent Bulbs for you to stock up now as eventually they will no longer exist unless you stocked up on them when you had the chance).
Most of the LED bulbs I have purchased have cost less than any of the other Bulbs I have seen in the store. I have noticed that the CFL bulbs run a LOT cooler than the Incandescent Bulbs. I cannot really speak too much about the LED Bulbs and how they run other than the 25 watt equivalent bulb (used for a nightlight in the living room so there is enough light if we have to get up and move around at night) which runs off of only 2 watts of electricity.

I am looking into getting more LED Bulbs in the future, but there is no rush as I have not had any issues with our CFL bulbs and cycling and so on. The one place I would invest in a pair of LED bulbs over the next few months maybe is for our outdoor lights. However, I have (as of this writing) not been able to find much info about LED bulbs and if they are as durable outdoors as the CFL Bulbs have been. However, while I may have to ponder that one and possibly take a chance (of which I most certainly reluctant to take a chance with the Bulbs being so much more expensive) there is one obvious benefit to an LED Bulb for our outdoor lighting needs. That benefit is that I could more than likely have a greater level of brightness (say a 75 watt or even a 100 watt equivalent compared to the equivalent of 60 watts now) and also use less electricity than I am currently using with the 60 watt equivalent CFL).
However I have also read that if you are using an LED light within an enclosed fixture than you will need a heat sink or some type of ventilation or cooling device for the fixture……though a heat sink should work fine. However why do I need to buy a Bulb….that is more expensive than my CFL and then also have to potentially use a Heat Sink or otherwise make sure they don’t overheat!!!???!!!???
That’s just nonsense, and almost nil considering that the savings from CFL to LED are well OK they are there but that’s about it! The costs of LED Bulbs as they are now, from what I have seen thus far online as well as thus far in all of the local stores I have been into in my part of LaSalle County, IL ……. Is way too high to justify switching to them. The one obvious benefit though to the LED Bulbs, would be that they do not contain Mercury…..which if a CFL bulb does break – it’s not that big a deal as long as you are not breathing in the contents of the bulb intentionally. You have to go out of your way to even have the low level of Mercury that is in a typical CFL bulb to matter. Yes the EPA guidelines, as well as overly neurotic people would have you believe that you need a Hazmat Team for a CFL bulb cleanup…..you do not and let’s say you did. Who is going to pay for the Hazmat Team? Hmmm, if you have the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars then go for it and call the EPA and tell them you have a broken light bulb in your home. Good Luck with that!

So for me I see it as Incandescent Bulbs (the old non mercury bulbs) are OK and provide decent lighting – but the amount of energy required to run them is too high. LED bulbs are nice, I could see owing a few more for say the outdoor lights….as well as maybe one other lamp inside (besides the one LED bulb we have as a nightlight presently). However overall there are issues such as potential heat issues with LED bulbs that I do not have with the cooler CFL bulbs…..of course I have also read that LED bulbs are even cooler than CFL bulbs…………so whatever on that one. My experience so far with the newer bulbs has mostly been with the CFL bulbs…..a few of which we have had since 2012 and still have yet to see any issues (these are 60 watt equivalent bulbs that I got for 0.88 for a 4 pack).
Now to be fair to LED Bulbs….some (depending on where you buy them and what size they are) some CFL bulbs can be quite expensive as well. However when you compare a CFL Bulb to an LED bulb for the purpose of home use for the average person…………..I see the CFL Bulb as the clear cut current champion.

LEDs do not contain mercury, but the amount of mercury in the Bulbs is so small it’s a non factor……as far as being concerned about it goes. The overall cost of most LEDs is so great compared to the cost of a CFL bulb there is no point in my opinion to really consider LED bulbs as an option for your lighting needs.

I have also read that a lot of LED bulbs are touting that they can last for over 20 years! Sure, yeah OK……I mean maybe they can but they have not been available to the masses on large enough scale for a long enough period of time yet to be certain. Also, while a lot of companies warranty their bulbs for such a period of time / as I have seen stated in some postings I have read online – I have yet to see one single LED bulb or bulbs that say on the package that the Bulb has any warranty of any kind besides a few I have seen saying they come with a 1 year warranty. Sure, these bulbs may typically last over 20 years – which would mean for average or moderate home use that they should theoretically last even longer. However finding a company or store you purchase these from that will back that warranty after say 15 years remains to be seen on a large scale at least…….I just don’t see that happening.

Anyways these are just my musings on the topic….I am not an expert. So if you want to tell me I have no idea what I am talking about, let me save you the time!

I have no idea what I am talking about, hence my statement at the beginning of the post about thyself being none such expert. You’re welcome.
OK, so anyways if you have ideas or experiences and thoughts and so on to share….please do. I made the choice to go to CFL bulbs (maybe other bulbs in the future) to save money…..period. That’s my rationale ….. Yours could be completely different and maybe you went with all LED bulbs and are ready for OLED and whatever is after that too….. And if so that’s not only OK / it’s great.

Well this Blog is starting to take shape, it started while a back and then was basically dead and now here it is again but I have decided to commit to this whole blogging thing. Why? Who in the hell really knows why now – because ‘why now’ would actually be the question to ask I suppose or as Kevin Kline put it in a movie I watched recently….”That’s the 64 Euro question”.
I have actually been thinking of writing a regular (or semi-regular) Blog since I think it was 2007 or 2008…. Sometime around then because I remember talking to someone I used to work with about it and the possibility of the people I could interview in the local area for my Blog.

That would have been a great idea right? And had I committed to such and idea in even 2009 or 2010 or whenever who knows where the Blog would be today huh?

However maybe, just maybe it’s a good thing that I did not really write a Blog with any intent at least until now. I certainly would not have the perspective I do now coming into it though I imagine I would have evolved to a state of mind not unlike where I am at now. Or if my writings were successful at an earlier time, would that have tended to skew my opinions, ideas,

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That first portion above I started I think about a week or so ago and I am no finishing this up and hopefully getting it posted today. Getting over a sinus infection, car issues, and just life in general have all been more of a factor than I had actually thought when I had decided to actually commit to this blog. However I am determined to not only have the Blog, but to also have 2 YouTube channels…..one of which will probably be videos of our Cats and one of just myself talking about various topics.

This stuff is a lot of work! However I am enjoying the process as an outlet for me to express myself and hopefully somewhere along the way a few people out there might actually read and comment on what I am doing online. It would be great to be successful at this stuff, however not everyone can be a Pewdiepie nor should they be. I am not writing or doing anything on YouTube to gain any followers……though if I do along the way – that’s great! I have also really gotten tired of just not finding a voice for myself online. Now am I a voice for anyone? Probably not, though I think the way that I look at the world as well as my immediate surroundings and life in general is just different enough from the way most people do / so I think that there is a small chance at least I might just pique your interest. There are MANY topics that constantly flow through my mind like waters of the Great Lakes or the Oceans of the world.
I am just trying to say what no one else is saying, on many different topics. So if you have come here looking for one specific thing – I am going to sadly disappoint you. However if you like hearing about all types of topics then welcome home!